Numerous fine cracks occur in the silica hydrogel obtained by the addition of NH
4Cl into colloidal silica in proportion to the progress of natural drying. The apparent density of the silica gel made by NH
4Cl addition after sufficient drying in desiccator is 0.9g/cm
3. The value is lower than 1.3g/cm
3 of the gel obtained by drying of original colloidal silica under the same condition described above. Accordingly, the dried gel made by NH
4Cl addition is extremely porous and brittle. The dried gel made by NH
4Cl addition contains a small amount of absorbed water, NaCl produced by reaction between NH
4Cl and colloidal silica, and NH
4Cl crystals which precipitated as a result of excess addition in the colloidal silica.
Characteristic changes of this dried gel when heated are as follows. Most of the absorbed water evaporates starting from 50°C through to 130°C, but part of the absorbed water gradually evaporates up to the high temperature range. The NH
4Cl in the dried gel starts to decompose from 120°C and is entirely volatilized by the temperature reaches 350°C. The NaCl in the dried gel begins to sublimate around 500°C and sublimation increases in proportion to the temperature rise. The majority of Na
+ is entrapped in the dried gel at this stage and accelerates the crystallization of the dried gel. For example, the silica gel made by 20cc of 10%NH
4Cl solution added to 100cc colloidal silica-S starts crystallization into
β-cristobalite at 854°C and crystallization is rapidly accelerated by the temperature rise. However, some of the silica gel remains without crystallizing. This remaining silica gel crystallizes into a high temperature type of tridymite at the temperature of 947°C and mixed among the
β-cristobalite.
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